Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Assessment
Assessment Strategy
The best model of assessing the Corrections subdivision of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) is the Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change, also known as the Burke and Litwin Model. The model highlights connections between internal and external factors that affect an organization’s performance, thus, enabling a holistic evaluation that considers both environmental and organizational determinants of an organization’s success (Burke, Lake, & Paine, 2009). The model also demonstrates methods of linking the environmental and organizational factors to achieve the desired organizational performance. The reference to the factors facilitates an understanding of the linkage between practice and theory. Therefore, application of the Causal Model will help to understand the FDC based on its external environment and its existing organizational practices.
The model highlights twelve factors that contribute to an organization’s performance. They include leadership, structure, systems, motivation, mission and strategy, external environment, organizational culture, management practices, tasks, and individual skills. Others are work unit climate, individual and organizational performance, and individual values and needs (Burke et al., 2009)
The model is effective due to its capacity to incorporate the evaluation of the Department of Detention and the Florida community to establish whether crime levels are dropping in the State (Barnabè & Busco, 2012). The subdivision’s mission is to ‘serve diligently and collaborate with other entities’ in ensuring that justice is served. The mission statement points out that the department acts by executing some roles by itself while incorporating the services of other departments to achieve its objective (Florida Department of Corrections, 2017). Therefore, applying the Causal model will facilitate the assessment of the extent to which the Corrections subdivision is serving the community and the effectiveness of its interdepartmental collaborations in safeguarding the state of Florida.
Valid and Reliable Data
The collection of data will rely on the twelve factors that determine an organization’s performance. The factors focus on individual pointers that collectively form the foundation of all operations and functions that are necessary for the achievement of the set objectives. For example, an assessment of the quality of leadership offered to the Corrections subdivision will reveal whether the leaders are competent in their undertakings. Features such as work plans, timetables, budgets, and other operations management tools will inform the assessment. An evaluation of the organizational culture will also help to collect information regarding its effectiveness in safeguarding Florida State (Florida Department of Corrections, 2017). The organizational culture should be established such that individuals’ daily tasks gravitate towards the achievement of the subdivision’s mission of serving diligently and collaborating with other departments to safeguard the community.
An assessment of the Corrections subdivision’s external environment will also facilitate the collection of reliable information regarding the organization’s performance. Here, the environment comprises of other departments of the FDC as well as the larger Florida community. It will be necessary to evaluate the activities of the other entities and how they influence the Corrections subdivision’s performance. For example, an evaluation of the Florida community’s perception of the services rendered by the organization can help to identify whether the organization is fulfilling its purpose or whether it needs to improve its services.
A combination of other factors such as tasks and individual skills, individual performance, and individual values and needs will also help in identifying the contributions of individuals towards the performance of the organization. For example, it would be critical to assess whether employees are satisfied with the roles assigned to them. Similarly, it is possible that factors such as overpopulation of inmates, budget constraints, and high attrition rates also affect employee productivity. Therefore, a consideration of all factors will help in gathering accurate and reliable data.
Sources of Data
The assessment procedure will rely on data gathered from a variety of sources and collected through various methods. Personal interviews, electronic and print media, and other secondary sources will provide qualitative data while police records will be the main source of quantitative data. A detailed interview of stakeholders such as FDC employees and residents of Florida can reveal crucial details such as the challenges experienced in safeguarding the community and the achievements made over time. For example, using questionnaires to rate Florida’s safety standards can help in understanding the overall state of security in the community. Similarly, interviewing FDC employees such as detention officers will identify the challenges experienced by the organization in enforcing security and the possible improvements that can make the organization efficient in its mission (Florida Department of Corrections, 2017).
Police records are a critical source of data in assessing the Corrections subdivision’s performance. The records are used to classify crime based on details such as the nature of the crime, the offender, and the incidence among others. The records will help to determine whether the organization is achieving its objective of safeguarding the Florida community and the extent to which it has managed to suppress crime. For example, an overall decline in the number of criminal cases reported would imply that the organization is achieving its mandate. Conversely, a rising number of repeat offenders would imply that the organization is unable to implement sufficiently punitive measures to the offenders. Thus, each source of data will be used to assess a particular aspect of the Corrections subdivision’s performance.
References
Barnabè, F., & Busco, C. (2012). The Causal Relationships between Performance Drivers and Outcomes. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 8(4), 528-538. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/18325911211273518
Burke, W. W., Lake, D. G., & Paine, J. W. (Eds.), (2009). Organization change: A comprehensive reader. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
Florida Department of Corrections. (2017). Vision, mission, value, and goals of the Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved from http://www.dc.state.fl.us/vision.html
